Semi-automatic gun.



F. LENDER.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED 110V. 18, 1911.

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F. LENDER.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC GUN. APPLIOATION FILED novpm, 1911.

1,091,361. Patented Mar.24,-191L 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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COLUMBIA FLANOGRAPH CO.,WASHINGTON, Dv c.

F. LENDER.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC GUN.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1911. 1,09 1,361, Patented Mar. 24, 19m

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COLUMBIA PLANDGRAPH C0- WASHINGTON. D. c

[nae/Mar) FRANZ LENDER, OF ST..PETERSBURG, RUSSIA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 18,1911.

SEMI-AUTOMATIC GUN.

Serial No. 661,168.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANZ LENDER, a subject of the Russian Emperor, and resident tomatically opening'and closing the breech mechanism of guns. The energy of the recoilis stored up in an accumulator secured to the barrel of the gun which energy is thereafter employed for actuating the breech mechanism.

The accompanying drawings given by way of example, show the invention em ployed for automatically opening and 010s ing a wedge breech block and in these drawm s: i

T igures 1 to t show longitudinal sections of the main part of the device in four characteristic positions. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the wedge breech block, the breech block being open. Figs. 7 and 8 show respectively a cross and a horizontal section through the actuating mechanism interposed between the breech block and the accumulator rod 0. Fig. 9 shows a sectional view on line M (Fig. 1). Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 show an other embodiment of the last-mentioned actuating mechanism. j The device comprises a casing 0 secured to the gun barrel and in which a heavy body a is adapted to move freely.

7b is a helical accumulator spring which is tensioned during the firing of the shot and which is under a certain initial tension when the breech mechanism is closed.

0 designates the rod for transmitting the accumulator work to the breech mechanism.

(Z is a spring for closing the breech mechanism.

The actuating mechanism interposed between the rod 0 and the breech block j comprises a screw 6 provided with elongated screw threads and. adapted to move to and fro in the left hand hollow end of the rod 0. This mechanism furthermore comprises the toothed wheel e, rigidly secured to the screw eand the toothed wheel 4% which meshes on the one hand with the wheel 6 and on the rotatory movement is transmitted by other hand with the toothed rack Z which latter is carried by the wedge j.

1 The tensioning of the accumulator spring is accomplished in the following manner: During the firing of the shot the body a whlch is not connected with the gun barrel, has a tendency, owing to its inertia, to rema n 1n position in the stationary space, while the casing 0 and the accumulator rod 0 are moving rearward which produces the tensioning of the spring 6.

1 After a certain shifting motion in the casing 0 the body a is caught and held by a lock bolt f which under the action of a spring, enters a notch f of the body a. In this position the accumulator is loaded (Flg. 2). Now, as the projectile has left the gun barrel and as the gases are fully eX- panded the block j becomes free. The spring 6 distends and moves the rod 0 from the po sition Fig. 2 into position Fig. 3. As the rod 0 is guided in its movements toward the right along the gun barrel by the heel 9 engaging a suitable groove, its motion produces a rotating of the screw 6 as well as of the toothed wheel 6 carrying the crank i. The rotation of the wheel e toward the right (Fig. 7) causes the wheel on to rotate toward the left and thereby produces the opening of the breech mechanism wedge (Fig. 3). During the motion of the rod 0 toward the right and the opening of the breech mechanism, the spring (Z is tensioned. The tension of this spring is in every position less than that of the accumulator spring b; consequently the motion of the breech Patented Mar. 24:, 1914. r

block is an accelerated one and the block arrives in the position shown by Fig. 3 with a certain momentum which, when the block j strikes against the heel h of the ejector, is transmitted in the well known manner to the cartridge case and thus produces the ejection "of the latter. j

The groove in which the heel g of the rod 0 moves is slightly twisted in screw fashion so that the rod 0, when moving toward the right hand side, is slightly rotated and this the groove 0 Fig. 9 to the body a. The notch f presses the lock bolt backward so that the body a is set free at the very momentin which the. breech block strikes against the heel h of the ejector. Thereafter the body a is brought by the tension of the spring 6 into the position shown by Fig. t while the spring Z) unbends to its initial tension and the accumulator is discharged.

The initial tension of the spring I) ought to be adjusted in such a manner that it is stronger than that of the spring 05 in the position shown in Fig. 3.

After discharging the accumulator, the spring (l pushes the rod 0 backward together with the body a and the spring 6. The screw 0, the toothed wheels 6 and m and the toothed rack Z transmit this backward motion to the breech mechanism, so that the wedge j is lifted to a certain extent until the notches 79 strike the hook shaped exten- 'sions in of the ejector (Figs. 6 and 7). In this position (loading position) the breech mechanism is ready for a new loading operation (Fig. 4). During this loading operation the extensions of the ejector 7a are disengaged from the notches 70 by the bottom edge of the cartridge case, whereafter the breech mechanism is closed by the unbending of spring cl. During this operation all parts of the mechanism are brought back to their original positions (Fig. 1).

When it is desired to open the breech mechanism by hand the crank a is employed which is mounted on the shaft of the toothed wheel 6 As clearly shown in the drawings, the accumulator does not take any part in this opening operation by hand.

Figs. 101112 and 13 show another embodiment of the actuating device in which the rod 0 receives the same screw motion as before with the aid of the same heel g. The longitudinal motion of this rod 0 is transmitted to the toothed rack 29 (Figs. 1011). The toothed wheel q, the shaft 8 and the toothed wheel 9 and rack 39 which latter is secured to the wedge j transmit the motion to the wedge. The lever 9" serves to open the breech mechanism by hand; I and II designate its position when the breech mechanism is closed or opened.

The device is entirely separated during the firing of the shot from the immovable parts of the gun and irregularities in the recoil and the advancing motion of the gun barrel can by no means have any influence on the function of the device.

What I claim is: Y

1. In a semiautomatic gun, the combination wit-h the gun barrel and the breech block, of an accumulator for operating said breech block comprising a casing carried by the gun barrel, a heavy body adapted to move freely in said casing, a rod arranged logitudinally within the casing and movable endwise therein, a spring surrounding the said rod and adapted to be tensioned by the said heavy body, locking means for engaging and holding the heavy body at a point in the movement of the casing relatively to the heavy body, and means intermediate the aforesaid rod and the breech block to cause the latter to open when the rod is moved endwise by the tension of the spring after the firing of the gun comprising a screw threaded within one end of the said movable rod and gearing intermediate said screw and the breech block whereby the endwise movement of the rod causes the screw to turn and effect the opening of the breech block. 7

2. In a semiautomatic gun, the combination with the gun barrel and the breech block, of an accumulator for operating said breech block comprising a casing carried by the gun barrel, a heavy body adapted to move freely in said casing, a rod arranged longitudinally within the casing and movable endwise therein, a spring surrounding the said rod and adapted to 'be tensioned by the saidheavy body, locking means for engaging and holding the heavy body at a point in the movement of the casing relatively to the heavy body, means intermediate the aforesaid rod and the breech block to cause the latter to open when the rod is moved endwise by the tension of the spring after the firing of the gun comprisinga screw threaded within one end of the said movable rod and gearing intermediate said screw and the breech block whereby the endwise movement of the rod causes the screw to turn and effect the opening of the breech block, a second spring surrounding that end of the rod within which the screw is arranged and adapted to be tensioned by said rod when the latter is being moved forwardly under the action of the first-mentioned spring to efiect the opening of the breech block, an ejector with which the breech block engages when in open position and actuated by a cartridge when the latter is being inserted to thereby release the breech block, and means for automatically releasing the heavy body from its locking means during the forward movement of the rod and permitting said second spring to move the rod in reverse direction to effect the closing of the breech block.

3. In a semi automatic gun, the combination with the gun barrel and the breech block, of an accumulator comprising a casing carried by the gun barrel, a body a, adapted to freely move in said casing, said accumulator comprising also a horizontally=arranged spiral spring adapted to be tensioned by said body a, the latter being provided with a notch a lock bolt f, adapted to engage the said notch and to thus keep the said spring in a tensioned condition, a second horizontally-arranged spiral spring comprised in the accumulator and adapted to be tensioned by the first In testimony whereof I have hereunto spring when the breech llolock is opened, a set my hand in presence of two Witnesses. rod, means for causin t e latter as Well as i the body a, to slightly rotate when moving FRANZ LENDER 5 toward the front end of the gun barrel and Witnesses:

to thus cause the said lock bolt f, to leave H. A. LOVIAGUINE, its notch and to set the said body free. AUG. MIGHIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

